The loaded shopping carts lined up at the Market Street Safeway recycling yard Monday morning, piled high with huge bags of cans and bottles.

It was an unpleasant surprise to many residents, who were told that the large industrial recycling center would be shut down by now. Supervisor Scott Wiener, who has been trying to move the city to a model of small, dispersed recycling sites, says an eviction notice has been posted at the site, but the recycling center is fighting the eviction.

Contacted for comment, Safeway spokesperson Wendy Gutshall would only say that "The actual eviction date has been extended to Oct. 4."

However, Wiener says the point person for the center, which is run by Community Resources, is Ed Dunn, who famously promised to chain himself to the fence if his Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council Golden Gate Park recycling center was shut down. Dunn never made good on the threat, but this could take a while. (Dunn did not return calls for comment.)

That's too bad because with curbside bins at every residence, Wiener's new recycling model makes sense.

Safeway is experimenting with "reverse vending machines," where recyclers put their cans and bottles in an automated machine and get a voucher for cash or merchandise. There's one installed at the King Street store, and the other day I watched a guy feed in several cans, get a voucher and redeem it for a 40-ounce beer. So it works the same as always.

City dwellers who watch the Woody Allen movie "Blue Jasmine" spend some of their time identifying local sights. But movie stardom hasn't paid off for at least one location. As several real estate blogs report, the New Central Cafe has been evicted.

Then there is the South Park bench where Cate Blanchett films her climatic scene. Blanchett is sensational, but insiders say the shoot didn't go smoothly. Unlike everyone else in the neighborhood, the film crew forgot to check the Giants' schedule. The sound of helicopters, airplanes and Giants fans meant that the crew had to come back another day.

Annals of crime: You see it all in the Tenderloin, but even veteran police Capt. Jason Cherniss was surprised to find himself chasing a stolen street-cleaning truck. Cherniss was sitting in his squad car when the truck careened around a corner and sideswiped a car.

Cherniss hit the siren and lights, and proceeded to engage in a low-speed chase toward Union Square at speeds reaching 20 mph. Cherniss finally called in backup and they got the runaway stopped. What they didn't get was a motive.

"This guy wasn't the most stable person to get a statement from," he said.